1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial, i.e., non-natural, lighting systems, and more specifically to lighting systems designed to illuminate very specific areas, for example, the steps or treads of a staircase.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The issue of illuminating a set of stairs or steps, particularly in the context of private homes, commercial buildings and boats, could stand improvement. In the household context in particular, the usual approach has been to illuminate the general area of the steps, or perhaps even just the room in which the steps are located, with one or more lights powered by 110-120 volts alternating current (VAC). This approach is not fully satisfactory, for a number of reasons.
The supply of household current, while generally good and reliable, is not 100% reliable, and can be interrupted for several reasons, including severe storms in the vicinity, or the need for the utility company to perform repairs or maintenance on nearby electrical wires. Thus, attempting to navigate stairs, at night in a household without power can be tricky and dangerous, and not everyone has a flashlight available, or would have a free hand available to hold a flashlight.
Furthermore, it may be inconvenient or inappropriate to turn on an area or room light at night simply to illuminate the stairs. For example, persons who might be asleep but with the bedroom door open or otherwise located close to the staircase might be awakened by the general lights from the hallway or from another room seeping into their bedroom or otherwise shining on them. Further, in certain settings such as theaters, it is inappropriate and impractical to turn the house lights on to illuminate stairs, and yet for safety reasons, such stairs need to be illuminated in the otherwise darkened room.
In the theater setting, stairs have been illuminated with lights strips or light bars placed along the nose or very edge of the step, where the tread meets the riser. However, such systems either will not work with thick carpeting such as might be present in a home setting, or would end up looking ugly or out-of-place.
On the other hand, some stair lighting systems require that the stairs be carpeted in order to hide the wires conveying electrical power from the power supply to the lighting means behind the carpeting. It would be desirable to have a lighting system that could be used on carpeted or non-carpeted stairs.
Further, some stair lighting systems provide for attaching the lighting means to the junction of the tread and riser by means of a wood screw. As not all steps are made of wood, it would be desirable to have a lighting system that did not require wooden stairs.
In the marine context, it might be dangerous to have 120 VAC lighting systems (shock hazard). Low voltage incandescent systems (12 VDC, for example) might draw too much current, and quickly drain batteries, if this power is supplied by batteries.
Still further, there are fishing regulations against the use of powerful lights on boats, because if they were to be shone on the water, they would attract fish, and would give the fisherman an unfair advantage.
For all of these reasons, there is a need to improve the issue of illuminating stairs or steps.